Hiring an agency review consultant is expensive. The average agency review, for both the client and agency, can run in the aggregate of about $750,000. Keep reading for a thorough explanation of why it is so expensive. If this price tag seems a bit too much then check out Marketing Matchup, we can help you find a marketing firm for free, and get a match in less than 5 business days.

According to Forrester Research, just completing the first stage of an RFI can cost an interactive agency as much as $17,000 in human capital costs. In addition, many review consultants require custom videos to be created and submitted with case studies that align along the client’s criteria. Let’s estimate an additional $10,000-$15,000 for producing, editing and duplicating these materials. In a review where 10-12 agencies are invited to the first stage, the aggregate cost is estimated at $270K-$384K – just for the first step of the process! For agencies lucky enough to make it to the final round of the review, they can expect spec costs averaging around $100K per agency. Typically, three agencies are invited to the final round, so that is another $300K for the review consultants. Clients can expect to pay fees ranging from $25K, for a rapid review, to amounts as high as $250K. At the end of the day the client has found an agency, but at a cost that could be as high as $750k for the entire process!

Keep in mind that not a dollar has yet been spent on branding, sales, marketing – anything to generate an actual lead. As mentioned earlier, review consultants can help guide an inexperienced client through the process of hiring an agency. Or, a client could spend the money on hiring a consulting firm, like ViBrand Consulting, who can tell you how to sell smarter.

If this price tag seems a bit too much then check out Marketing Matchup, we can help you find a marketing firm for free.

If you are still interested in hiring a review consultant, we have provided a list below with links to some of the top review consultants in the world:

Agency Review Consultants

United States

AAR Partners - New York, NY
ADvice and Advisors - New York, NY
Ark Advisors - New York, NY
Arquent Consulting - New York, NY
Bob Wolf Partners - Santa Monica, Ca
Joanne Davis Consulting - New York, NY
Jones Lundin Beals - Chicago, IL
Morgan Anderson Consulting - New York, NY
Pile & Co. - Boston, MA
Roth Associates - New York, NY
Select Resources International - Santa Monica, CA
The Bedford Group - Atlanata, GA

Europe
AAR gmbh - Dusseldorf, Germany
Agency Assessments Int - London, UK
Consultores de Publicidad - Madrid, Spain
Gibory Consultant - Paris, France
ISBA - London, UK
Registr Reklamnich Agentur - Prague, Czech Republic
Scan Management Consultants - Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Observatory - London, UK
VT Scan - Paris, France

Asia/Pacific
Agency Register - Sidney, Autralia
R3 Asia Pacific - Beijing, China

Latin America
Sales, Periscinoto, Guerreiro & Associates - Sao Paulo, Brazil